Various aquatic sports activities (e.g., surfing, water boarding, water skiing, scuba diving and the like) require clothing articles that are lightweight when saturated with water and exhibit flexibility to enable the individual participant full freedom of movement. Aquatic shorts (colloquially known as “board shorts”) that are breathable (fast drying), possess extreme light weight and supportive yet highly flexible are especially desired by water sports enthusiasts. It is towards providing such clothing, especially water shorts, that the embodiments disclosed herein are directed.
The embodiments of the present invention as described herein including clothing articles (e.g., aquatic “board” shorts) are generally comprised of at least one unitary woven fabric panel having multiple differing seamlessly adjacent fabric weave sections. These seamlessly adjacent different fabric weave sections may be selected from plain fabric weaves, twill fabric weaves and/or Dobby fabric weaves.
At least one unitary woven fabric panel of the clothing article may comprise a twill weave section and a Dobby weave section seamlessly joined to one another along a respective interface boundary therebetween. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one unitary woven fabric panel may comprise a plain weave section and a twill weave section seamlessly joined to one another along a respective interface boundary therebetween. According to some embodiments, the at least one unitary woven fabric panel may comprise an upper plain weave section, a lower Dobby weave section and an intermediate twill weave section seamlessly joined to the upper plain and lower Dobby weave sections along respective interface boundaries therebetween.
Some embodiments of the invention are directed toward aquatic activity shorts comprised of a one piece rear fabric panel providing a seamless back rise. Preferably, the one piece rear fabric panel comprises seamlessly adjacent different woven fabric sections that may be selected from plain fabric weaves, twill fabric weaves and/or Dobby fabric weaves.
Certain other embodiments of the aquatic activity shorts may comprise one piece left and right front woven fabric panels, each of which may be comprised of seamlessly adjacent different woven fabric sections. By way of example, the seamlessly adjacent different woven fabric sections of the left and right front woven front fabric panels may be selected from plain fabric weaves, twill fabric weaves and/or Dobby fabric weaves.
If present, the one-piece left and right front woven fabric panels may joined to the one-piece rear fabric panel along a seam that has opposed ends located generally above a knee region of a user at a lower edge of the shorts and extends upwardly and rearwardly around a buttocks region of the user with an apex centrally located adjacent a rear waist region of the user.
According to some embodiments, the left and right front woven fabric panels include seamlessly adjacent left and right rear waist sections. Each of the left and right rear waist sections may comprise upper and lower seamlessly adjacent woven fabric sections.
Some embodiments of the aquatic activity shorts according to the invention may comprise left and right front woven fabric panels and a rear woven fabric panel, wherein each of the left, right and rear fabric panels is formed of a one piece woven fabric having seamlessly adjacent different woven fabric sections. The one piece rear fabric panel may therefore provide a seamless back rise.
The rear woven fabric panel of some embodiments may comprise an upper twill weave section and a lower Dobby weave section seamlessly joined to one another along a respective interface boundary therebetween. The rear woven fabric panel may further comprise lateral arcuate woven fabric sections seamlessly joined to the upper twill and lower Dobby weave sections along respective arcuate interface boundaries therebetween.
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more clear after careful consideration is given to the following detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments thereof.